Astros take full advantage of expanded roster in 7-6 win

You can’t just bludgeon an opponent with roster size in baseball the way you could in other sports — say tug of war. But the Astros are certainly trying.

What the Astros couldn’t do as a 25-man team all season, they are suddenly doing with flair as they number 35 with September roster expansion. They’re winning series. They’re beating contenders. They’re playing a brand of baseball that, although hard to watch at times for the constant pitching changes and scorecard nightmares, is producing no shortage of exciting moments in between.

Sunday was full of them as the Astros dealt a severe blow to the Phillies’ playoff hopes with an exciting 7-6 win that clinched the series 3-1 against a team that ends the weekend four back in the wild card race having blown a great chance to move up.

Not that they were necessarily taking the Astros lightly, but the losses against a now 48-99 team sure got them down.

But how has the 35-man roster helped the Astros have this success with series wins over the first-place Reds and now the Phillies? Clearly, the best nine the Astros have doesn’t match the best nine the Phillies have, and at no time during the game are the Astros at a huge advantage, if any, with the personnel on the field.

It comes in the fact that if the Astros players aren’t largely interchangeable, they are at least highly flexible. The number of candidates to play every position combined with the depth of the 10-man bullpen has allowed the Astros basically to use every advantage they have.

They constantly, after about the fifth inning or so, match up lefty/righty. And if the opposing team changes pitchers, just burn the announced hitter. There are plenty more. Meanwhile, there are versatile defensive players like Justin Maxwell, who rarely goes through a game playing the same outfield position for all nine innings as switches occur around him.

“It’s a great asset for us right now and an advantage,” manager Tony DeFrancesco said. “We’ve got a lot of young kids who are trying to get at-bats, and we’re trying to mix them in the lineup.

“The starters are in the game and before you know it, we’re pinch-hitting, double-switching, using our complete bullpen, and that’s what we’re trying to establish. Guys that participate in a winning ballgame.”

The Astros did all of that Sunday, using 19 players including five different relievers after Jordan Lyles went five innings.

Down 4-3 entering the seventh with their runs on a two-run shot by Scott Moore and a solo shot by Carlos Corporan, the Astros put it on a troubled Phillies bullpen.

Maxwell, whose defensive record read CF-LF-CF, blooped a double down the right-field line to give the Astros a 5-4 lead and Matt Dominguez made it 7-4 with a base-hit of his own.

But eventually, the chess game had to end and the baseball had to begin. There were no lefties remaining when Wilton Lopez had to face dangerous lefthanded hitters Chase Utley and Ryan Howard to protect a one-run lead in the ninth.

He got Utley to fly out and DeFrancesco found one more move to avoid checkmate, walking Howard to get to Carlos Ruiz, from whom Lopez induced an easy grounder.

It was comfortably the Astros’ 10th consecutive game longer than three hours, but you’re not going to get DeFrancesco to care about that when he’s making these mid-inning pitching changes and trying to squeeze out every advantage.

He keeps bringing up one of his favorite teams of his youth in motivational speeches — invoking the 1972 Miami Dolphins.

If the Astros are going to avoid 100 losses, it will be by ending the season 17-0 — the record of that Super Bowl champion team. Even if that falls woefully short, you can’t accuse him of not pulling out every trick to get there.

<B><center>Sept. 15: Astros 5, Phillies 0</b></center>
Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (27) completes the double play out on Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard (6) as he makes the throw to first to get left fielder John Mayberry Jr. (15) out. less

<B><center>Sept. 15: Astros 5, Phillies 0</b></center>
Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (27) completes the double play out on Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard (6) as he makes the throw to first to get left ... more

Astros shortstop Jimmy Paredes (38) struggles to get ahold of the single hit by Phillies left fielder John Mayberry Jr. (15) who was able to advance to second on a throwing error by Paredes. ( Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle ) less

Astros shortstop Jimmy Paredes (38) struggles to get ahold of the single hit by Phillies left fielder John Mayberry Jr. (15) who was able to advance to second on a throwing error by Paredes. ( Karen Warren / ... more

Photo: Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle

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Phillies left fielder John Mayberry Jr. (15) lands on second base on a throwing error by shortstop Jimmy Paredes (38) as Astros shortstop Tyler Greene (23) tries to field the ball. ( Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle ) less

Phillies left fielder John Mayberry Jr. (15) lands on second base on a throwing error by shortstop Jimmy Paredes (38) as Astros shortstop Tyler Greene (23) tries to field the ball. ( Karen Warren / Houston ... more

Phillies second baseman Chase Utley (26) celebrates his run scored with teammates in the dugout as he is brought in on a single by left fielder John Mayberry Jr. (15). ( Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle )

Phillies second baseman Chase Utley (26) celebrates his run scored with teammates in the dugout as he is brought in on a single by left fielder John Mayberry Jr. (15). ( Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle )

Photo: Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle

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Phillies left fielder Juan Pierre (10) looks up into the Crawford Boxes as Astros third baseman Matt Dominguez's (30) three-run home run goes over the fence. ( Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle )

Phillies left fielder Juan Pierre (10) looks up into the Crawford Boxes as Astros third baseman Matt Dominguez's (30) three-run home run goes over the fence. ( Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle )

Photo: Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle

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Phillies manager Charlie Manuel (41) walks out to the mound to relieve starting pitcher Tyler Cloyd (50) after he gave up a three run home run to Astros third baseman Matt Dominguez (30). ( Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle ) less

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel (41) walks out to the mound to relieve starting pitcher Tyler Cloyd (50) after he gave up a three run home run to Astros third baseman Matt Dominguez (30). ( Karen Warren / ... more

Photo: Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle

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Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (27) dumps warning track dirt out of the bottom of his bat as he walks to the plate. ( Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle )

Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (27) dumps warning track dirt out of the bottom of his bat as he walks to the plate. ( Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle )

Photo: Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle

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Astros third baseman Matt Dominguez (30) rounds third base and third base coach Dave Clark (35) after hitting his three run home run during the fourth inning. ( Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle )

Astros third baseman Matt Dominguez (30) rounds third base and third base coach Dave Clark (35) after hitting his three run home run during the fourth inning. ( Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle )

Photo: Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle

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Astros third baseman Matt Dominguez (30) celebrates at home plate with teammates after hitting his three run home run. ( Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle )

Astros third baseman Matt Dominguez (30) celebrates at home plate with teammates after hitting his three run home run. ( Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle )